The old folks
by Juliefan
Summary: Set after season 3. Marissas funeral is about to take place and Julie doesn't know if she sould invite her parents. Jimmys parents, too.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Marissa was dead.  
She had to realise it sooner or later. And she had to realise she had to plan her funeral. She didn't even want to think about it.  
She would have to invite the Newpsies who she didn't want to face right now. These fake condolences. these fake smiles and bodies. Nothing she wanted to deal with while burying her daughter.  
But there were still other people who would come. The Cohens for sure. Jimmy, even Hailey. The family. While this word crossed her mind, a another one hit her. The grandparents. She would have to invite Jimmy's parents by hook or by crook. But would she have to invite hers? Her parents who she hadn't talked to since she had divorced Jimmy? She didn't even knew where they lived. Probably still in Riverside. And she didn't even knew if they were still alive. Her father had left the family when she had been 15. He knew he had grandchildren, but hadn't seen them very often. Maybe he didn't even care.  
Her mother did care. She often had taken Kaitlin when she had been too young to stay alone. But since then she hadn't heard anything from her.  
She had wanted to ask her sister at the wedding but had forgotten.  
A few years ago it had been to embarassing to tell something about her past. She had avoided it as best as she could. Until her family had started to fall apart. She had lost her money and two husbands, one of them twice. And now she had lost her daughter.  
Even though her mother could be a bitch, she didn't want to loose her, too.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1 

Julie checked the names on the envelopes one last time.

Mrs. Elisabeth Lewis-Gornham

Mr. Micheal Lewis

She wasn't sure if one of them would come or even answer. But she had to try, at least for Marissa's sake. So she threw the envelopes into the post box and headed back to her car, worrying about the things to come.

Jimmy sat in his seat trying to deflect himself with a newspaper. It had been three days since his cell phone had rung. He had been on his way to the airport when his ex-wife had called him uncontrolledly sobbing and had told him under tears that their daughter was gone. His babygirl was dead. And he blamed himself for her death. If he hadn't abandoned his family a year ago they would live happily together today. Maybe they wouldn't have much money but they would be a family. Now it was too late.

The stewardess's voice got him out of his thoughts.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, we will land in a few minutes. Please belt up."_

After he had make sure the lights were out downstairs and the frontdoor locked, Neil made his way upstairs to the bedroom. He could hear Julie taking a shower in the bathroom. The house hadn't seen so much tears and sadness since his first wife had left him.

He still couldn't believe Marissa was dead. Last week everything had been ok. It may had been the proudest day in Julie and Neil's life seeing their daughters graduating. From now on eyerything would change.

The bathroom door opened and Julie came out. She tried to hid her red eyes but Neil could see she had cried. After undressing her dressing gown she slipped to Neil under the blankets who moved over to her and laid his arm around her. Julie sobbed quietly and huddled against him. She was just glad she wasn't alone right now.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2 

Elisabeth Lewis-Gornham went through the huge pack of letters which had been in her letter-box. Not that she expected anything special. She got advertisement and bills anyhow everyday. But when her gaze meet a black envelope she hesitated. Who the hell would send her a black envelope? She looked at the backside and let the letter fall down with terror. She hadn't read this name, had she? After a few seconds she looked again at the envelope on the floor, hoping she read wrong. But she hadn't. At the backside stood JULIE Cooper-Nichol. Elisabeth did know only one person with this name.

Michael Lewis sat on his couch watching football, like everyday. What should he do otherwise? His girlfriend had left him three weeks ago and he had lost his job also. So why bother? His life was a mess by hook or by crook.

25 years ago he had had a family. A wife and three daughters. Elisabeth, Abbie, Cindy and Julie. The four women in his life. Until he had lost his job and had fallen into drinking. Elisabeth had thrown him out after he had slapped Abbie. Michael had never forgiven himself for this slap in the face. He had shown up at her doorstep many times trying to apologize. But Elisabeth hadn't let him. She had taken his kids and had moved to another adress. His kids. Abbie, the eldest and reasonable one. Cindy, the little rebel. And Julie, his little babygirl. All three had been great kids. He just had been to blind and drunk to see it.

He remembered the night of his moving out like it had been yesterday.

Abbie, who had been 19, had encased herself in her room. Cindy, 17 years old, had been sat on the steps crying. Julie, just 14 or 15 years old, had been trying to stop her mother from throwing out her dad's clothes. But she hadn't achieved anything. Elisabeth hadn't listened to her.

Only years later he had heard something from his family. Abbie and Cindy had married and had gotten children. Michael had visited them ones or twice.

Julie had married, too. But not some guy from Riverside. She had fished herself one of the richest guys of Newport. Michael had been proud of her first. She had been the only one of the family who had gotten out of Riverside. Julie had become a mother also to a little girl named Marissa. God, she had been an adorable thing, just as her mother.

But Julie hadn't forgotten. She hadn't forgotten her dad hadn't cared over the family for years. And she had let him feel this. She had told him at Marissa's first birthday to leave. Forever.

A knock on his door got Michael Lewis out of his thoughts. He forced himself to stand up and opened the dor to see his neighboor holding a black envelope in his hands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

Julie sat in the living-room with a to-do-list in front of her. It was hard to plan her own daughter's funeral but she had to deflect herself somehow. Sitting around all day and crying wouldn't make it any better.

Julie rubbed her red eyes and tried to focus on her list again but too many thoughts crossed her mind. She never ever had thought she would have to bury her daughter one day. Parents shouldn't bury their children.

Summer went through the house looking for someone or something that would keep her occupied. She didn't want to think about Marissa right now. She didn't want to face the facts. But she had to accept it sooner or later. Her best friend and soon-to-be-sister was dead.

While walking past the living-room Summer noticed Julie who sat at a table burying her head in her arms. Poor woman. Marissa's death had hit her very hard.

Summer slowly came up to her step-mother and laid one hand on her shoulder. Julie lifted her head and looked at her with puffy eyes. Summer couldn't remember if she ever had seen Julie that sad and broken.

She took her step-mother into a hug and let her sob on her shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4 

Elisabeth Lewis-Gornham locked up the door of her house and waved at the taxi driver to stow her luggage. For a moment she stood on her porch unsure to leave. It was such a shame. Her granddaughter was dead and she wasn't sure if she should attend her funeral. But she didn't know how to react in front of Julie or what she could say to her. They hadn't spoken for almost two years. She knew from Cindy Julie had married another man but that was all. She didn't even know how Kaitlin was doing. When she had been younger Julie often had visited her with Kaitlin and Marissa and they had made long walks through Riverside to show the girls where their mom had grown up.

Elisabeth smiled at this thought while wiping away a tear and turned around. She wanted to say good bye to Marissa one last time.

Michael sat on his couch like everyday looking at the black envelope on the table in front of him. It had been three days since his neighboor had given him the letter und even now he couldn't believe what he had read.

How his granddaughter could be dead? How the hell did this happen? He knew he hadn't been close to the family lately, but the news of Marissa's death had made him ropy.

A single tear appeared in the corner of his eye at the thought of his one year old granddaughter who sat on her mother's lap gurgling happy while her father brought in some presents. Her first birthday was the last memory of Marissa.

Now, 17 years later, Michael wasn't sure of visiting Newport. He knew he had to, at least for Marissa's sake. He didn't want to face his daughter. Julie had became another person since moving into this damn town and wearing expensive clothes.

Michael stood up with a sigh, looked down at the envelope for a second and left the room. He had to pack some things.


End file.
